Once Again Together
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: MMPR Long after retiring from Ranger life, they meet up as close as friends can ever be. Some things change but others stay the same. Read what happens at one of the original Rangers yearly reunions.


Disclaimer: Own nothing - it all belongs to Saban

Author Note: I realise this one is not original at all - I merely felt it was something I had to write. It is set during the Lightspeed Rescue era approximately and features the original characters of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and all are retired from Rangering (so Tommy has not yet begun preparation for Dino Thunder yet). Please review and let me know what u think as its my first ever PR story. Enjoy!

(Special thanks to the Female Phenom for posting this for me - ur a star!)

**ONCE AGAIN TOGETHER**

The sun dried the water off Jason's skin as he lay on the beach. He felt lucky to live so close to the ocean and be able to enjoy its beauty so frequently, especially in the summer. It was one of the perks of living so close to the shore, a perk he intended to enjoy as much as possible. A voice broke the silence

"You gonna lie there and cook all day?"

His long-term girlfriend Emily smiled from beside him as they both enjoyed the relative silence of their almost private sandy haven. Most of the tourists chose to frequent the more popular beaches whereas Jason and Emily, knowing the area well, could find little secluded bays to get away from the hordes of noisy kids and families.

"Was planning to" Jason replied, closing his eyes

"Make sure you get some block on" Emily said before sinking back into the sand herself

Silence coated them again as they enjoyed the sensation of lying next to each other, comfortable enough to say nothing and just enjoy the moment. Until

"Oh I forgot!" Emily suddenly exclaimed, rolling over onto her stomach to retrieve something from her beach bag

Jason opened an eye to see what she was getting and admired the view of his girlfriend he currently had. Her slim pretty figure was clad in denim shorts and a flattering purple bikini top, practical and sexy on such a roasting day. He really felt lucky to have her and at times like this was really appreciative to have someone to share his newly idyllic life with.

"This arrived for you today, it came when you were working at the dojo this morning"

Emily handed him a slim white envelope. He knew what it was, merely from the red-inked handwriting of his address. The careful pretty handwriting of one of his oldest friends. Jason immediately sat up and eagerly ripped it open, much to Emily's amusement. He received an identical envelope every year and each year really looked forward to opening it. He pulled clear a piece of white paper decorated with identical writing in bright red ink.

_JASON_

_You have been invited to the Annual Reunion/BBQ _

_California - home of Zack & Angela_

_Please don't be late (we know how you like to overwork)_

_May the Power protect you_

He smiled and folded it back into the envelope. Immediately a million memories poured into his mind. The last line still sent a tingle through his body. Emily lay smiling at him, enjoying his happy expression which made his dark eyes shine

"The usual crowd?" she asked knowingly

Jason nodded. Emily knew of his past as the original Red Ranger and later the shortly needed Gold Ranger and was unafraid to be his girlfriend, despite the fact that alien attacks on them both could happen at any time. She understood the old team's need to meet up once a year to refresh their bonds, bonds formed out of the burden of being humanity's unknown saviours and being thrown together at such impressionable times of their lives. It warmed him from the inside to know they still wanted to meet up and that still they did not mention the Power Rangers in their letter, still hesitant to let their true secret identities be known. The powers that bonded them together were strong, ancient and powerful; something they all wished to protect.

"Same time as ever, Zack's this time" Jason tossed the envelope towards his girlfriend's beach bag "should be fun"

"Oh you know it will be! It always is" Emily laughed

Silence settled around the couple again as they lay down. Jason smiled to himself, nothing put him in a better mood than the thought of seeing his old friends again.

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The doorbell rang

Jason stood outside, waiting for the door to open. Inside he could hear people talking, laughing together. As his mind raced over his past adventures, the door swung open and Zack stood there with a bright happy smile.

"Jase!"" he reached in for a complicated handshake and brief hug "its so good to see you man! Where you been hiding?"

"Mostly with Emily, running the dojo you know" Jason replied as he stepped inside

"See you're still into the red stuff" Zack laughed over his shoulder

Jason grinned down at his red tee and black pants. It seemed every time they all met up, they all appeared colour-coded. Apparently it was a hard habit to break. Yet it captured each of their personalities perfectly; Zordon had chosen well. Red for Jason - bold distinct strong.

"So how's the hip-hop classes going? I thought you had one right around now?" asked Jason, breaking back into reality as he walked down the corridor behind Zack

"Ah I got Javine to cover for me, she's assistant coach after all and she's gotta learn someday, besides she knew this day was special to me and didn't mind taking charge of the class" replied Zack

After his time as a peace ambassador with Jason and Trini, Zack had moved to California where, after some time trying to work out what he wanted to do in a place he felt so drawn to, he finally decided to teach something that he was really passionate about; hip-hop. Every day he taught different aged kids the dance moves he so enjoyed himself and every night he spent some time keeping himself sharp in the fighting skills which he had depended on so much as a Ranger; his own unique blend of hip-hop and martial arts he had dubbed 'hip-hop kiddo'. He was still the same old Zack; dressed in loose black pants and a sleeveless multi-coloured vest and still fun-loving, and charming with a ready smile for everyone. The only thing that was different was the addition of a simple gold wedding band; he had married his dream girl Angela only the year before. Tonight Angela was spending an evening with her girlfriends, unaware of the special significance of her husband spending time with his closest, oldest friends.

As Jason entered the kitchen, he heard his name being called joyfully and in a blue of movement, Trini leapt on him for a hug. Throughout the year they only managed to communicate through emails and phone calls as her research and peace ambassador work took her everywhere throughout the country so their yearly reunion was always special.

"Oh its so good to see you Jason" she murmured into his back "once a year isn't nearly enough"

Jason nodded his agreement. Before they'd given up their work, he and Trini had become close through their time as peace ambassadors together. Now, Trini worked two jobs that she felt equally passionate about. As well as working part-time still as a peace ambassador (something she felt so strongly about) Trini spent most of her working hours travelling around the country researching the various martial arts techniques which had saved her life and the lives of others around her more than once, the findings of which she sent to Jason to use in his dojo. The history of it fascinated her the most but she also worked out techniques and how to possibly improve them.

But this was not all she researched. Her financial backers were unaware of the second half of her work. Trini was the only old member of the original team who kept an eye on the work of current Power Ranger team, archiving all their work and keeping the rest of the old team updated so that if the current defenders of the Earth were ever in the same area as any of her friends, they could lend a hand. So far her research had proved fruitful in both areas.

"So how's the research going Trini?" he asked once he pulled back

"Completely fascinating, I've found some really interesting history on the Mantis technique" Trini enthused "and the other Rangers have been really helpful, Carter keeps me really well informed so we know of all the monster activity, did you hear about Ryan? He's finally reached that good inside of him and he's come home to fight by his sister's side"

"Yeah I think we all got excited about that" agreed Jason, his smile wide "its great you keep us so well informed Treen"

He held Trini in front of him so he could look at her properly. Except for a few wrinkles around her eyes, she looked the same as ever. She was dressed in her more professional looking clothes which he deduced meant she'd pretty much come straight from a meeting with peace delegates without a chance to change at which ever hotel she was staying at. She wore a bright yellow blouse with a sabre-tooth tiger brooch pinned to it (she loved to pick up mementos which reminded her of her time as a Ranger and also give ones to the other members of the former team as gifts for special occasions), a black beret over her loose shining dark hair which still hung long down her back and a short black skirt, her black suit jacket was hung on her chair. It did Jason's heart good to see her so happy and enjoying life so much, especially since Billy, who Trini had been especially close to, had left them.

"Where're the others at?" he asked, looking around the kitchen which was empty of people bar himself, Zack and Trini

"Oh they're out the back in the garden, I was helping Zack with the salsa" Trini replied, gesturing to a bowl of red mixture on the table where she'd been sitting at prior to Jason's arrival

"Yeah couldn't get her to leave and go join the others" laughed Zack

Jason looked from where the bowl was to where Zack was quietly flipping burgers on the grill. He quickly surmised from Zack's rueful expression that he'd tried convincing Trini to go outside and spend some much-needed time with her friends who she barely saw but as usual, the kind-hearted young woman had insisted on helping out in the kitchen despite Zack's protests. It seemed despite her often trying life and exhausting travelling schedule from her dual jobs, the former Yellow Ranger had barely changed from the sweet pretty girl Jason has gone to high school with; always putting everyone else before herself.

"Are all the others here?" asked Jason

"Yeah all three" relayed Zack, flipping another burger "and don't worry, you won't be the third wheel, Billy's been out there forever"

"I still can't believe he comes all the way from Aquitar every year to see us" said Trini, seating herself gracefully at the table to continue her work on the salsa mixture "that's a long journey to do alone, all for the sake for a few days with old friends"

"It's a testament to the friendship we have" corrected Jason on his way to the garden

He smiled as he walked out to the garden. It was pretty big and Angela had made sure the best gardeners in California made it just right for her and Zack, much to her husband's amusement. There were pretty flowering bushes near the entrance to it and then a beautifully kept curving lawn lined with flowerbeds. The plants in the soil were already in flower and as Jason walked past them, he noticed with a short quiet laugh that as usual the flowers were all in Ranger colours; red, yellow, blue, black, green, pink, white and even some gold and silver. He wondered if Angela realised the significance of these distinctly coloured flowers. She probably didn't as Zack still kept his Ranger past a well-kept secret and his wife assumed that the yearly gathering was for the high-school best friends she herself had been friendly with.

He passed a small stone statue of Alpha 5 which Zack had gotten specially commissioned and soon caught sight of the remaining three members of the Power Rangers team. Tommy stood with his arm around Kimberly as the couple stood talking quietly to Billy who was sat on a stone bench, tinkering with a small silver gadget.

"Hey guys!" Jason called lightly as he jogged over to where the three were grouped

"Jase! Good to see you man!" Tommy exclaimed, pulling his arm away from Kim to engage Jason in a quick hug

"Its been a while bro, judging from your hair" joked Jason

Tommy laughed, running a hand over his newly cut hair. It was a dramatic difference from the long dark ponytail of his Ranger days to the short neat spikes he now sported. It suited him though and was a sign of an older perhaps more mature Tommy. He'd also chosen to wear only two of his three Ranger colours, opting for a loose green and white checked flannel top and comfortable green pants of his Green and then White Ranger days rather his most recent time as a Red Zeo Ranger.

"Yeah I guess it does look kinda different" Tommy admitted "but I thought you know, if I'm gonna do my PHD I better look the part"

"Yeah how's that going?" Jason asked, interested in his old teammate's new interest in academics

"Oh really well! I'm thinking if I still enjoy it as much as I do now then maybe I'll go into teaching" enthused Tommy

"You'd be a great teacher" decided Kimberly "you're a natural leader"

Tommy smiled his thanks at his girlfriend as Jason stepped forward to receive a hug from the former Pink Ranger

"How've you been Kim?" he asked

"Pretty good, still coaching as I said in the last email, Pan Global drives the girls hard so I'm there to remind them to take a break when they can" Kim laughed, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head "but its good and Tommy studies near me in Florida so we can live together which is great"

"I bet it is, you guys deserve to finally get some quality time together" Jason said with a nod

Tommy and Kimberly had a tempestuous past together and it was only now that some levity was evident in their rocky relationship. When they had first met and found an instant attraction, Tommy was changed into the evil Green Ranger by Rita Repulsa which put a severe kink in any plans for a relationship between the two until the Rangers broke the spell and Tommy switched to the side of good. Their relationship survived and blossomed through Tommy's demise and brief return as the Green Ranger and his change into the White Ranger leading the team. It was cut short however when Kimberly chose to move to Florida to train for the Pan Global Games, passing on her Pink Ranger powers to Kat. Tommy dated Kat for a while after Kimberly sent him an infamous letter breaking off their relationship due to her meeting someone else in Florida. However distance certainly set a few things in their minds and soon the two were back in contact, making tentative steps to restart their relationship and soon were back to being inseparable and now living together.

"Hey how's Emily?" asked Kimberly suddenly "I hear you guys are still going strong, what's it been now? Two, three years?"

"Yeah something like that" agreed Jason, his face lighting up at the thought of his girlfriend "its been good, not always an easy road but easier since I first met her"

Tommy nodded, he'd been there when Jason has first made contact with the pretty blonde, helping her to disentangle herself from an unsavoury group of bikers she'd got involved with as they were the only people who were friendly to her. Jason had helped her realise she had to strike out on her own regardless if she didn't agree with the way they behaved. Soon Emily had a job at Ernie's Juice Bar and was Jason's steady girlfriend as he gave the Gold Ranger powers back to newly unified Trey and moved on from Angel Grove to a place where he could realise his life's dream and set up his own dojo.

"I mean we're doing ok for money since I run the dojo and she's doing some bar work as well as working as my receptionist" Jason said "the apartment's right near the beach so we're both pretty happy with our location"

"I bet you're there tanning as often as you can "teased Kimberly, pushing him in his nearest shoulder with a sly grin

Jason laughed. They all knew that was untrue. Jason was notorious for being a workaholic, working absurd hours at his dojo's conception to get it properly off the ground until he had a good number of students regularly attending and a small team of strong karate experts to assist him in his teaching. Even in high school, he was quick to finish class work and concentrate all spare hours on karate training, at first with Zack and then with Tommy who shared his obsessive passion for the martial arts. He had claimed that it was all preparation for Rita's numerous monster attacks but the other Rangers knew that was also a way to keep himself busy, to not think about the times he'd missed out on being a Ranger when attending the Peace Conference or the times he couldn't always save people. It was a way of controlling his angry emotions at what the world suffered because of his uncontrollable foes and as leader and then former leader, he felt an immeasurable burden of responsibility towards the Earth and its protection.

"I'm gonna grab a drink, you want one Kim?" asked Tommy

"Sure, Peach Snapple would be great"

As Tommy headed back into the house, Kimberly watched him leave with a smile. She was still as bright and beautiful as Jason remembered her in high school, dressed in a short washed-out blue denim skirt and pink spaghetti-strapped top. In her eyes he could see that fierce independent spirit which had pushed her on in her Ranger days as she learnt to deal with the unpredictability of monster attacks and assaults on her personal life and then helped her make the decision to join the Pan-Global Games and steadily rise in the ranks until she achieved inevitable championship status and then move onto a coaching position. Her time in Florida, it seemed, had been good to her.

"Still in contact with Kat?" asked Jason

"Hmm? Oh yeah, she's doing really well and so's Aisha, she's making total progress fighting those diseases and everything" enthused Kimberly "I think Kat said she was going to a Ranger reunion herself, Zeo I think"

"Yeah Trini told me last month that the Space Rangers still travel together so they don't need a reunion as they're always together" mused Jason "guess they're lucky"

"Yeah they are" sighed Kimberly

There was a sharp bleep and then a familiar tone filled the Ranger's ears. It was the tune their communicators always made when Zordon or one of the other Rangers needed their help. Kimberly and Jason turned to find Billy fiddling with a communicator, a look of frustration of his face. Feeling his friends eyes on him, he looked up and managed a smile

"Tommy's been suffering some severe disorders with his communicator, I'm helping rectify them" Billy informed them

The communicators, not really needed since their time as Rangers was over as their primary purpose was to teleport them to the Command Centre or scenes of monster attacks, were still worn by the Rangers in order to keep in contact with each other. When Billy returned to Earth for the yearly reunion, he helped them fix any bugs or fine-tuning that was needed.

Jason was about to start talking to the former Blue Ranger when he noticed the scuba gear neatly stacked at Billy's feet.

"Planning on a swim sometime Bill?" he joked, gesturing with a head nod at the snorkel and flippers

"What? Oh no, I always leave my home on Aquitar fully prepared for aquatic conditions and even though I have returned briefly to Earth to see you all, it is an habit I'm unwilling to break in my stay here, you understand" said Billy, finishing tweaking Tommy's communicator and finally closing the back of it

"Sounds reasonable to me" laughed Jason "so how's life on Aquitar treating you?"

"Its most enjoyable" enthused Billy "Cestria and I fill most of our days helping others out who need my expertise with technology, they are most formidable tasks as their technology is much advanced to what I was used to here on Earth, even surpassing the Command Centre and Power Chamber's advanced technology"

"Sounds like you're just where you want to be Billy" smiled Kimberly

"I truly am Kimberly" Billy replied with a bright smile

Little in Billy's outward appearance had changed in Jason's eyes; he wore comfortable blue dungarees with a blue and white striped tee shirt underneath. Although he had tended to favour contact lenses towards the end of his Ranger tenure, he was back to wearing his large steel-framed glasses. It was the look in his eyes which had changed the most. With the Rangers he had been comfortable enough to be himself, finally shedding the insecurity he felt about his vast intelligence caused by the smirks and comments of his high school peers. Now, having spent a lot of time among beings who truly appreciated his life skills in the way the Rangers had done, Billy appeared more comfortable in his own skin and able to accept the gifts he had been blessed with since birth.

"Hey guys!" Zack called loudly from the open doorway "toast time, c'mon"

Quickly the three former Rangers walked briskly back into the house and made their way into the kitchen where Trini stood, her salsa mixture now beside a large bowl of potato chips and a full glass of sweet white wine in one hand. She handed another full glass to Jason upon his entrance and Tommy handed a glass of Snapple to Kimberly who smiled her affectionate thanks to her boyfriend. A plate of well-cooked burgers was placed on the table next to the salsa as well as a collection of glasses and bottles. Zack picked up his foaming glass of a concoction the others didn't want to ask about and gestured for Billy to pick up his glass of wine already poured for him.

The six former Rangers stood in a neat near semi-circle, glasses half raised. None of them spoke as the smiled at each other, unable to find words to express at being in the presence of such special friends. Jason finally took a half-step forward and spoke

"Lets each make a toast" he suggested "to Zordon, a great leader and more than just a mentor, may he live on in the remaining good on Earth"

The Rangers remained silent and clinked glasses with the friend next to them, taking a sip afterwards as they remembered their former leader. He had been more than a mentor, an interplanetary sage trapped between dimensions thanks to Rita and physically merely a floating head in a large plasma tube. He had always looked out for them and protected them as best he could, a friend and a surrogate father figure. His absence, self-afflicted as he urged Andros the Red Space Ranger to break his holding jar so that a wave of positive energy was unleashed and destroyed all the evil in its path and also Zordon, was still keenly felt. He was still missed by his former charges.

"To Aisha, still working in Kenya" spoke up Kimberly, a wide smile on her face "she's doing so much good without her Ranger powers and I was honoured to fight beside her"

Tommy and Billy smiled, remembering Trini's Yellow Ranger replacement and how she'd eventually left them to do work in Kenya after the Zeo Crystal Quest had taken her there. She'd passed her powers onto a Kenyan girl named Tanya who had carried the powers forward with skill and honour.

"Hey I got one, to Rocky and Adam working in their dojo together, they were awesome Rangers" chipped in Tommy

Rocky and Adam had appeared in Angel Grove with Aisha as Stone Canyon's martial art champions and when Jason, Zack and Trini chose to go to the World Teen Peace Summit, their new friends were the perfect choice to replace them. Rocky had continued as the Red Ranger and then the Blue Zeo Ranger before a back injury in a karate tournament had forced him pass on his powers to the most appropriate person; a smart young kid named Justin. Adam stayed with the Rangers right through the Zeo phase until the passing on of the Turbo powers to Carlos. Both now ran a dojo together in Stone Canyon, just as they'd wanted to since high school.

"To Alpha" spoke up Zack with a wide grin "for picking up the pieces so many times and dealing with Zordon for all those years"

The others laughed and clinked glasses, remembering fondly the eons old robot who had blundered his way through assisting Zordon in the Command Centre and then Power Chamber. He was like a metallic little brother for the Rangers, despite his vast age superiority.

"To Aquitar, its Alien Rangers and our work there" said Billy simply

The Alien Rangers had briefly travelled to Earth to assist while the Rangers searched for the Zeo Crystal and since Lord Zedd has reverted the Rangers to children, to help defend the Earth. They were fondly remembered by the Rangers for their unselfish act of teleporting to a planet whose atmosphere vastly disagreed with their biology.

"Oh I got the last one" said Trini, her pretty eyes lighting up "to all the teams who came after us; Zeo, Alien, Turbo, Space, Lost Galaxy and Lightspeed Rescue, they did great jobs and keep Zordon's hope for the future alive"

The former Rangers, the first chosen to bear the powers of the ancient dinosaurs, pilot the Zords and own the Power Coins, clinked glasses thoughtfully and smiled as they drank. Another year, another reunion. Jason looked out of the window, taking in the people he could see far away on the streets. They'd never know who the people were who saved their lives countless times or were doing it currently. They'd never know the closeness he had with his Ranger team who he'd led into such dangerous situations for their benefit, the intricate balance of personalities that made up the close knit team. He was grateful for it, his life would be totally different and a lot less complete without it and so would the Earth's very existence. He turned back to the room, where his friends were talking together quietly sharing that connection that would last forever.

Jason took another sip of his drink and silently thanked Zordon for bringing them together all that time ago.

_And may the Power protect us all_


End file.
